e-Weekly
September 16, 2009
Sick Leave Policies and the H1N1 Flu
Now is the time to review sick leave policies! The credit union simply can’t afford to have sick employees threatening the health of other staff members and its members. It also can’t afford to have staff abusing sick time. A well crafted and properly enforced policy will help everyone make the right decisions regarding sick time.
Employees who have flu symptoms (fever, chills, sweating, aching, coughing, etc.) need to stay home, and employees need to believe the credit union wants them to stay home. For many employees it is a badge of honor to come to work sick. But in the case of H1N1 where there is no immunity from this new flu, a sick employee may infect many of his/her co-workers as well as members if he/she comes to work sick with the H1N1 flu.
Many institutions may want to create a separate sick leave policy – a Pandemic Sick Leave policy – to be implemented in case of a declared epidemic in your region of the state. A separate sick leave policy allows a credit union to consider extraordinary measures that will be implemented only at a trigger point thus not impacting sick leave policies in place today or for the future. Policy considerations include:
- Expand policy language to allow employees to stay home to care for children, other sick household members, or parents.
- Allow non-exempt employees to take sick time in smaller hourly increments; or allow an employee to come into work beyond the close of the workday day or weekends to complete tasks.
- Telecommuting may be an option for some tasks and for some employees but will require IT solutions be put in place beforehand.
- Suspend warnings or penalties for absences that might currently be imposed in your sick policy.
- Suspend the requirement for a doctor’s note for lengthy absences. Health care professionals are pleading with businesses to take this one step to help alleviate their seeing patients who might not need a doctor’s visit other than to receive a doctor’s note.
- Consider allowing employees to borrow sick days from the next year or provide more liberal sick leave during a declared emergency, understanding that one goal is to encourage employees to remain home when sick with the flu so as not to infect other employees or members.
- Consider what the credit union will do if an employee comes to work with flu symptoms. Communicate to employees they will be sent home if they arrive to work with a fever (and have some digital thermometers on hand for this purpose).
Any of the above changes requires thoughtfulness because these changes could impact a number of other policies such as ADA, attendance, call-in time, FLSA and FMLA. If H1N1 becomes even more serious, a credit union may be forced to curtail hours, close branches, or furlough staff. These more drastic steps will further impact policies, wages, and benefits and need to be part of both the planning process and the pandemic flu policy. The primary goal of a pandemic flu policy is to prepare for business continuity, safeguard employees and members wherever possible, and balance the business needs to protect the continued viability of the organization. When the pandemic is over, a credit union wants to be able to say it has done all that was possible to protect its employees, members, and the institution!
For a list of other policy considerations and information, the following website is a terrific resource: www.pandemicflu.gov/professional/business/businesschecklist.html.
Compensation Strategies for Turbulent Times
On Wednesday, September 23, the HR Network will present Compensation Strategies for Turbulent Times. The guest speaker is Michael Dougal, director of HR Consulting for the HRN Management Group. Dougal has years of experience designing customized compensation and incentive compensation plans for large and small credit unions alike as well as working with the Compease compensation product that now is part of HRN Management Group.
Dougal begins this discussion with a quote from Wayne Gretzky, “Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it has been.” This quote has never been more applicable to the business world as it navigates uncharted territory in this recession. Looking forward is an essential strategic approach to achieving any successful outcome, and compensation decisions and strategies are no exception. Having a defined compensation strategy in place not only protects the bottom line, it also provides success in recruitment, retention, and motivation.
As credit unions struggle with balancing reductions in force, no salary increases, and benefits cuts with maintaining a healthy, motivated workforce, looking forward definitely requires a systematic plan. This program will encompass how to design a compensation strategy, a compensation plan, and incentive compensation plans.
Compensation Strategies for Turbulent Times is open to all members of the HR Network at no cost. Since it is an important subject that might have interest beyond the HR Network, it has been opened for some limited availability for non-members of the HR Network at a cost of $99. If interested, contact Beverly Purtell, VP-HR management by September 21 at bpurtell@cucenter.org.
Consumers cut card use, turn to credit unions, CUNA tells WSJ
The weekend edition (Sept. 12) of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) outlined the "new rules for personal finance," with Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Chief Economist Bill Hampel noting that consumers are turning to credit unions for help.
In the article, entitled, "By Choice and By Force, Consumers Cut Back on Plastic" (Sept. 11), reporter Jane Kim points out that revolving credit is declining at an 8% annual rate, which demonstrates that Americans are ditching their plastic both by choice and by force as issuers tighten up, the article says.
She goes on to recommend credit unions and local banks as a still-accessible source for loans.
Hampel told the publication, "In some cases, consumers are turning to credit unions and their local banks for help," said the article. Through March, loan growth at credit unions--including mortgages, small business and car loans and credit cards--rose 5.8%, compared with a decline of 2.9% for commercial banks.
| 
